Can You Bathe A Dog In Dawn Dish Soap

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Dawn dish soap is famed for its ability to clean up just about anything covered with oil—from dishes, human skin to birds, and sea turtles.

In fact, when you visit Dawn’s main website, you will get a link titled “Dawn saves Wildlife”, where they highlight how Dawn dish soap has been instrumental in cleaning up thousands of birds and wild animals caught up in oil spills.

If Dawn dish soap is safe enough for wildlife, you are probably wondering if you can use it on your dog as well.

When you ran out of your regular dog shampoo, it can be tempting to reach for whatever soap or detergent you might already have in your shower or kitchen.

But are they safe for your dog? And to be precise, is dawn dish soap safe for dogs?

“Dawn dish soap can be a safe choice to bathe your dog in rare circumstances, but it is not recommended as a regular shampoo.” Your dog’s skin can be sensitive to allergies, have different coat conditions, and even different pH levels than human skin, so this strong soap can be very irritating to their skin.

Is It Safe to Wash Your Dog With Dish Soap?

The quick answer is no, it’s not safe to wash your dog with dish soap.

Risius Family Veterinary Service, a vet clinic in Eldridge, Iowa, warns that “bathing in dish soap often leads to a skin infection.”

“Skin infections in pets can be very itchy and painful,” the vet clinic adds. “This may require a visit to your veterinarian for tests and possibly antibiotic treatment. So, the money you saved by using an inexpensive dish soap may end up costing you more in the end.”

Is Dish Soap Toxic for Dogs?

You might be wondering if dish soap will hurt a dog’s eyes. As Rafferty pointed out, the answer is yes, it’s certainly possible.

In fact, Dawn itself recommends that you “rinse immediately and thoroughly with plenty of water” if you get dish soap in your eyes. If symptoms persist (you’ve probably felt the pain of soap in your eyes before), the company advises seeking medical help.

Even riskier is the chance of your dog ingesting dish soap. They might cry or whine if it gets in their eyes, but will you be able to tell if they swallow it?

Again, Dawn suggests taking immediate action if dish soap is swallowed by drinking water to dilute it. If any symptoms appear or continue, seek medical attention right away.

According to Medical News Today, symptoms of soap poisoning may include:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Swelling of the lips, throat and tongue
  • Severe stomach pain
  • Gastrointestinal distress

    • That, of course, raises the big question: Is it really worth it to use dish soap when bathing your dog?

    Dawn Dish Soap Is Formulated With Strong Chemicals That Are Unhealthy For Pets

    The main ingredients of Dawn Ultra Dishwashing soap include Water, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Alcohol, Denat., Methylisothiazolinone, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, PPG-26, C10-16 Alkyldimethylamine Oxide, Sodium Chloride, FRAGRANCE, PEI-14 PEG-24/PPG-16 COPOLYMER, Phenoxyethanol, and Acid Blue 9.

    At first glance, these ingredients might appear like a lot of chemicals.

    Well, to be fair to Dawn, that’s not the case. All the ingredients are safe and non-toxic.

    When you look up each chemical on the ingredients list, you will soon realize that they are safe and low in toxicity.

    However, when it comes to your dog’s health, the impact of each ingredient may be different.

    So, to be safe, it is important to avoid using Dawn soap and other unfamiliar detergents on your dog.

    FAQ

    What can I use to bathe my dog if I don’t have dog shampoo?

    One of the biggest options available to many pet parents (and human parents) is baby shampoo. Baby soaps and shampoos are made to be as gentle as possible, because babies are very fragile and have very sensitive skin and eyes. You also see vinegar on a lot of different homemade shampoo lists.